Bonjour mon cherie...

  L'ancome's French Coquette collection is, in all its entirety, extremely covetable.  The lovely, shimmering gold-pink face powder La Rose Deco is elegant and will surely deliver a glamorous effect when used as a blush and highlighter.  The French Touch lipstick, with casing inspired by the Eiffel Tower, glides on beautifully and delivers moisturizing, comfortable, and oh-so-chic lip colour.  The real highlight of the collection, however, is the innovative and spectacular Ombre Magnetique.  It's like the ingenious love child of cream shadow and intense pigment.  A unique blend of polymers allow for extreme long-wear and an intense finish, allowing the product to have a slight elasticity to it and move with the contour of your eye.  In addition to the polymer blend is a heap of moisturizers to give the creamy texture.  It was, after all, inspired by the texture and formulation of lipstick.  The intensity comes from the blend of pigment, which can be applied more heavily to act as an intense liner, or in a more light-handed fashion to act more as a shadow.  However you choose to wear this product, it will surely be uber-glam.



Check out the collection on L'ancome's website, here

Vamp It Up

  Move over Restylane, there's a new filler in town!  Cleverly nicknamed the Vampire Facelift, Selphyl utilizes the patients own blood to synthesize an essentially natural filler!  So how does this work, exactly?
  First, blood is drawn from the patient and separated via centrifuge (this spins the components at a very high speed, separating the cellular components from each other - I used these all the time in my lab!) to isolate the blood platelets and the fibrin.  In the Selphyl System, the separated mixtures are called the Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and the activated Platelet-rich Fibrin Matrix (PRFP).  The mixture is then further prepared for injection, and is administered just below the surface of the skin.
  The result?  A natural increase in volume and an overall rejuvenated appearance, mostly due to the mixture's ability to encourage cell proliferation and collagen formation.
  But how, exactly, does this work?  and Why?!  Well, platelets are colourless, irregularly-shaped bodies that have sticky surfaces and are present in our blood.  Platelets are involved in the clotting of the blood.  They gather around a wound and are aided by Calcium, Vitamin K, and fibrogen to form a web-like mesh.  Fibrin plays a similar role.  It is an insoluble protein that is formed in response to bleeding by its soluble precursor, fibrinogen and clotting enzyme, thrombin.  Fibrin forms a long, fibrous chain, and entangles itself at the site of a wound, with the platelets, to form a spongy mass.  Makes sense in terms of adding volume when administered to the face, doesn't it?!
  Moreover, natural growth factors and other cellular components encourage increased cell proliferation (ie. new cells to form) and of course, the ever so sought after, collagen production. 



Learn more about Selphyl here

More Blue!

  How did I not discover this nail colour earlier?!  The shade is "For Audrey" by China Glaze, and mimics the eponymous Tiffany blue.  I love love love China Glaze lacquers, as they're DBP and Toluene (known carcinogens!!) free, and also contain no added formaldehyde.  Moreover, they use China clay as a hardener, which is the material in porcelain that gives it that high-shine finish! 



China Glaze



Sea of Blue

  Over the course of LG Fashion Week (and events prior), and also through my browsing of current magazines, I noticed that an upcoming trend in the beauty world is BLUE - on eyes, and even lips! 
  At the Philip Sparks S/S '11 show, models were made up with luminescent, glowing skin, neutral eyes, and a thick stripe of light teal liner on the lower lashline.  At Amanda Lew Kee's amazing show during LG Fashion Week, models wore minimal makeup aside from a strong, opaque, sky blue lip.  Attention grabbing? Definitely.  Wearable?  Maybe not.
  I've always been a huge fan of dark blue - indigo, navy, cobalt - eyeshadow and liner, which I think allows for an unexpected, yet classy twist to a smoky eye, or acts as a jolt of colour (when using cobalt) to a neutral palette.  But sky blue?  Not sure if I'd be able to bring myself to applying a light blue shadow/liner, it is simply too reminiscent of pre-teen dances and opaque, powder blue shadow laden with glitter.  What are your thoughts?  Would you wear an icy or light blue on your eyes?  What about lips?!



Amanda Lew Kee

Philip Sparks

Summer Fades Into Fall

.... but that doesn't mean your (self) TAN has to!!  As the weather cools, we Canadians become accustomed to accepting the paler, more drab versions of our former glowing selves.  However, that does NOT have to be the case!  Clarin's Delicious Self Tanning Cream is the perfect self-tanner for all months, but is especially beneficial during the cooler months due to its intense moisturization quotient!
  This miracle worker consistently produces natural looking result.  You can apply full strength for a glowing, bronzed effect, or mix with your favourite moisturizer for a more subtle glow.
  What makes it so fantastic?  It's the moisturizing cocoa bean extract and cocoa unsaponifiables (read: doesn't form a soap when mixed with lye, therefore allowing moisture retention and conditioning), which accounts for its luxurious texture and skin conditioning results.  Moreover, you can use this self-tanning cream on your face, it will not clog pores and does not leave an oily residue!  Beautiful!!

http://www.clarins.com/





This is Love...

  Ever the fan of shimmery, sparkly, eyeshadow, I decided that I was in need of something different - a taupe, matte, palette.  I purchased NARS eyeshadow duo in Portobello, and am ABSOLUTELY obsessed.  It's warm, taupe-y, neutral perfection!



NARS Duo in Portobello

  However, am I surprised?  A longtime fan of the NARS Orgasm blush and lipgloss, not to mention my devotion to Laguna bronzer, selecting this palette was simply the natural choice!  LOVE IT!

Spring 2011 Beauty @ LG Fashion Week

  I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of LG Fashion Week (Beauty by L'Oreal) in Toronto on Monday night.  Holt Renfrew first presented an energetic show consisting Canadian creations from Pink Tartan, Smythe, Line RUNWAY, Wings & Horns, Denis Gagnon, Jeremy Laing, Mikhael Kale, and Lida Baday.  The show consisted of snippets of the resective Spring '11 collections.  It was energetic, fast-paced, and left the audience yearning for more!  Later that evening, we were treated to boys in bright colours + eyeliner at Bustle (lots of eye candy!)

Some beauty highlights/2011 Trends:

Pink Tartan:  luminous, perfect skin with subtle, peach-coloured lips.  Fresh!



Pink Tartan

Lida Baday: neutral glam - perfect look for every day!



Lida Baday

Smythe: Glowing skin and intense, exciting electric pink lips!





Smythe

Wayne Clark: Classic glamour - black liner, slight smokey eye with a neutral lip - all to complement the absolutely stunning gowns.



Wayne Clark

  Please check out Fashion Magazine (images courtesy of!) and the  LG Fashion Week website for full coverage and information pertaining to the shows!